Onondaga County lifts boil water advisory for some private Marcellus wells

Marcellus, NY – Tests of private wells in Marcellus that were under a boil water advisory have turned up three that were contaminated with bacteria produced by cows, Onondaga County’s director of environmental health said this afternoon.

Homeowners were notified Monday that the county health department has lifted the boil water advisory for 50 of 56 private wells on Amber, Hayden and Smith Roads in Marcellus.

The county notified homeowners on March 14 to begin boiling their water before using it after owners of some wells complained of brown shaded, manure smelling water.

The owners of five homes on Amber Road and one on Hayden Road have been advised to continue boiling their water before using it. Tests by the state health department laboratory in Albany that specializes in genetic testing found that three of the wells had E coli contamination that was caused by cows,said Kevin Zimmerman, the county director of environmental health.

He referred questions about the water contamination by cows to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Officials don’t know where the E coli that contaminated the other wells is coming from, Zimmerman said. It could be seeping along a fracture in the bed rock or it could be coming from septic systems, he said.

“In those cases we recommend people shock their wells,” using chlorine to disinfect the water, he said.

The county health department does not regulate private wells. It has recommended that owners of the wells, which in some cases are 60 to 80 years old, have them checked regularly by a well professional, Zimmerman said.

Contact Charley Hannagan at channagan@syracuse.com, by voice or text at 470-2161, on Twitter @charleypost, or on Facebook at Neighbors West.